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| - Peru's popular former president Martin Vizcarra was under fire on Friday after a newspaper revealed he was vaccinated against the novel coronavirus months before the country began an official immunization program. The South American country only began its immunization program on Tuesday, two days after receiving 300,000 vaccine doses from state-owned Chinese company Sinopharm. But the Peru 21 newspaper claimed on Thursday that Vizcarra had been vaccinated in secret in October, just weeks before he was impeached and removed from office. Vizcarra, though, insisted he had merely volunteered to take part in a vaccine trial for the Sinopharm jab. "I made the brave decision to join the 12,000 volunteers," said Vizcarra, who is currently campaigning to win a seat in congress in April's general election. Vizcarra, 57, said he kept the fact a secret -- his wife also took part in the trial -- because "volunteers have to maintain confidentiality." However, rival legislator Ali Mamani said his party would make a formal complaint against Vizcarra. Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti, who was appointed by Vizcarra, said she knew nothing about it and criticized her former boss, saying those in decision-making positions shouldn't take part in the trials "so as not to skew the results." Peru, which has recorded around 1.2 million coronavirus cases and more than 43,000 deaths amongst its 33 million population, has only started immunizing health care workers. Hospitals are overrun with more than 14,100 coronavirus patients while they have also reported a lack of oxygen to treat those with breathing problems. Authorities have yet to announce when immunization of the wider population will begin, but the country plans to vaccinate 26 million people. et/fj/yo/bc/jh
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